Surf Ski Rescues

Roan Strydom, NSRI Gordons Bay duty coxswain, said: At 12h48, Wednesday, 12 March, NSRI Kleinmond and NSRI Gordons Bay duty crews were alerted following a call from an NSRI coast watcher at Pringle Bay reporting to be witnessing a paddler appearing to be in distress offshore of Pringle Bay.

Within minutes additional multiple phone calls raising the alarm were being received by NSRI reporting the man to be struggling on a paddle craft offshore of Pringle Bay and being blown further out to sea and now in obvious distress.

NSRI Kleinmond duty crew responded to the NSRI Kleinmond station 42 rescue base where they dispatched their NSRI rescue vehicle, accompanied by NSRI rescue swimmers, while NSRI Gordons Bay duty crew responded to our NSRI Gordons Bay station 9 rescue base where we dispatched our NSRI rescue vehicle, accompanied by NSRI rescue swimmers, and our NSRI rescue craft, Spirit of Surfski 5, was launched.

NSRI Kleinmond and NSRI Gordons Bay rescue vehicles arrived at the NSRI coast watchers house, in Pringle Bay, where NSRI crew observed visuals of the paddler in distress.

The NSRI craft approaching offshore of Pringle Bay from the Gordons Bay side were directed towards the casualty and within minutes of arriving in the area, in 30 knot gusting winds, the man was located and rescued onto the rescue craft.

Treatment for hypothermia to the German male tourist was commenced.

The casualties paddle craft was recovered.

Initially the plan was to take him ashore at Pringle Bay but we opted to keep him in the care of our NSRI medics onboard our rescue boat and reassess his medical condition at our NSRI rescue base.

We brought him to our NSRI rescue base at Gordons Bay harbour where following medical treatment, in good condition and in good spirits, the man was released from our care and collected by a friend.

NSRI are appealing to boaters, paddlers and sailors to download and use the free NSRI SafeTrx smart phone application – www.nsri.org.za SAFETRX.

The NSRI coast watchers are commended for their assistance in this incident – their vigilance contributed to saving the life of the man.

SIMONSTOWN:

Sharon Crowther, NSRI Simonstown duty coxswain, said: At 17h33, Tuesday, 11 March, NSRI Simonstown duty crew were activated following an NSRI SafeTrx emergency alert intercepted by NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), from a man visiting South Africa from Dubai, in distress on a surf-ski North of Roman Rock Lighthouse, False Bay.

A local Good Samaritan paddler, on a surf-ski, taking part in the same downwind paddle, from Millers Point to Fish Hoek, also activated his NSRI SafeTrx emergency alert, which was also intercepted by NSRI EOC, reporting that he had come across the casualty paddler and reporting that the casualty paddler was in distress and in the water after capsizing and that the casualty had been separated from his surf-ski North of Roman Rock Lighthouse.

The NSRI SafeTrx position showed the casualty to be drifting in the direction of the Glen Beach quarry area.

The local Good Samaritan surf-skier had tried to catch up to the drifting casualties surf-ski, in attempts to return the craft to the casualty man who was drifting in the water, but with the attempts being unsuccessful in the strong winds, after activating his NSRI SafeTrx emergency to also raise the alarm, he was forced to continue on the down wind paddle for his own safety.

Our NSRI Simonstown duty crew responded to our NSRI Simonstown station 10 rescue base while NSRI Simonstown rescue swimmers and CMR (Cape Medical Response) responded to Whale Watchers at Glencairn.

By that stage the local Good Samaritan paddler, who had utilised his NSRI SafeTrx emergency alert, had been forced to continue on paddling for his own safety.

A second Good Samaritan paddler who had also come across the casualty man drifting in the water had tried to assist, but in the heavy sea conditions he was also forced to continue on the down wind paddle for his own safety. He had also activated his NSRI SafeTrx emergency alert to raise the alarm.

The 2 Good Samaritan paddlers are commended for their efforts in trying conditions.

The casualty man remained adrift in the water continuing to display a SafeTrx emergency position that was being monitored by NSRI EOC and by NSRI Simonstown duty controllers.

NSRI coast watchers in the area were alerted to get visuals of the casualty. It was a race against time in the fading light.

The NSRI Simonstown rescue craft Donna Nicholas was launched – also displaying the NSRI SafeTrx position of the casualty on the rescue craft onboard console.

NSRI rescue swimmers and CMR paramedics, arriving at Glencairn, obtained visuals of the casualty adrift in the water offshore of Glencairn.

Concerns were that the man may run aground on the rocky shoreline on the Fish Hoek side of Glencairn.

NSRI rescue swimmers prepared to enter the water to assist while the NSRI rescue craft responded towards the scene.

On the NSRI rescue craft arriving on the scene the casualty man was rescued onto the rescue craft where medical treatment for hypothermia commenced.

A CMR ambulance was dispatched to the NSRI Simonstown rescue base.

The patient was brought safely to the NSRI Simonstown rescue base where CMR paramedics continued with medical treatment for hypothermia.

NSRI Simonstown were then called by the CoCT (City of Cape Town) Fish Hoek lifeguards, at Fish Hoek Lifesaving Club, reporting that the casualty surf-ski had run aground on Fish Hoek Beach and the lifeguards had recovered the craft from shallow surf.

Following medical treatment and rewarming the man, in good condition and good spirits, was released and collected at our NSRI Simonstown rescue base by friends and they collected his surfski at Fish Hoek Life Saving Club.

NSRI reiterates the value of the free NSRI SafeTrx smart phone application that contributed to saving the life of the man in this successful rescue operation.

NSRI are appealing to paddlers, boaters and sailors, to download and always use the free NSRI SafeTrx smartphone application (available on our web page www.nsri.org.za) when launching into water.